 Deanna Cathcart |
Help stop scanning!!! It was recently brought to my attention that smartmoney.com has an article telling people to steal photos from photographers as a way to save money. I just couldn’t believe it when I read this! A place with the reputation like smartmoney.com telling people to steal from honest hard working people! To commit a federal offense no less!! They were contacted by a slew of photographers and by PPA themselves although they moved the article they will not take it down. They say they stand by their article and are keeping it online! PPA was happy that they moved the article and were calling that a victory. Well we, the little people are NOT happy and we will fight until the article is gone! How can we do this? We will hit them where it hurts! The bank account. Paid advertisers! On Monday Dec 4th at 10 AM ET we will be calling Fidelity and flooding their phone lines with complaints of their advertising support being on this page! Here are the phone #’s http://personal.fidelity.com/account...ing.shtml.cvsr We can only do this with the power of ALL of us! Let them know that there are LOTS of us and we are NOT happy! Please everyone call - don't think that someone else will call for you. Pick up the phone and make a difference. The longer we tie up their lines the louder our voice will be! Here is a link to the article http://www.smartmoney.com/top5/index.cfm?story=20061108 Here is the quote “Money-Saving Tips: Just buy the class picture. And don't even consider placing an order during the spring session, when many schools host a secondary picture day. If you just can't resist, purchase the smallest package possible. At the Clark School in Swampscott, Mass., parents can spend as little as $24 for a few wallet-size photos and one of the class. The bill rises to more than $50 if parents splurge for a package that includes a couple of 5-by-7s. Worried you won't have a spare to send to Grandma? Consider scanning your copy or email a cute digital shot you took yourself.”
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Here's what somebody advised on the same subject regarding AOL having that. "why don't you write or call AOL and lodge some kind of formal complaint about it and send a copy to the federal trade commission and the fcc???"
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Mark Feldstein |
or copyrighted 2006 Mark Feldstein?
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Patent Pending-Mark Horacio Feldstein
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Kathy Radford |
I couldn't believe what I read. I am so outraged!!! You're right we all need to call and complain, that is totally illegal. I hope we really jam their phone lines. Thanks for the info. Kathy in NH
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Marianne Fortin |
The following is from their website! "COPYRIGHT AND LIMITATIONS ON USE The content displayed on this SmartMoney Web Site (the "Content") is the property of SmartMoney or its licensors and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. The Content includes for example, stories, tools, calculators and other items displayed on the site. This SmartMoney Web Site and the Content may only be used for your personal and noncommercial use. You agree not to reproduce, retransmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish, broadcast or circulate the Content to anyone, including but not limited to others in the your company or organization, without the express prior written consent of SmartMoney." Hmmm
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Stephanie M. Stevens |
So they get into a snit if you steal their stuff, but advise the theft of other people's stuff. Interesting.
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Brendan Knell |
This is horrible! Something you might consider is just to tell all of your customers that this is totally illegal. Just make sure you don't sound accusatory! And tell them why you are telling them about this.
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ThatsNews2Me |
I was wondering . . . if any of you know anyone to do time for copyright infringment? Steep fine? What is the risk of punishment for getting caught? A lot of people break laws and commit illegal acts and can still "sleep at night" and "live with themselves." To some people it is no more than speeding to fast. Could this be why the mag showed disregard to photographers rights while offering money saving tips to their subscribers? There are not enough LEOs to apply the law. Also, we want to be careful and not be advertisement FOR smartmoney. I don't get out much, being from right slap dab in the middle of Texas, but I had never read anything from smartmoney until this article mention.
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Brendan Knell |
"I was wondering . . . if any of you know anyone to do time for copyright infringment? Steep fine? What is the risk of punishment for getting caught?" From what I've heard, most average customers stop right a way, and pay the damages, when slapped with a Cease and Desist letter. The risk of punishment, if you persue the infringement in Federal Court, is about a 100,000$ fine plus damages.
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ThatsNews2Me |
I would guess that most people, like me, aren't clear on the difference between "trade name" "trademark" "registered name" and whatever that little cc stands for (or is it an rr ... pp?), but outright encouragement to scan a photographers work is clearly wrong. Saving a few bucks is the object. So is ceasing and desisting (saving a few bucks). The captive audience I work with are in for drugs, possession of gun by felon, certificate fraud, child porn, stuff like that, but I've never seen a COPYRIGHT BUST sentence. Last year a Walmart lady in Oklahoma refused to let me copy a pretty good digital pic that I had taken. I felt really stupid that she didn't believe me. It had no studio markings, it was just a print of a young cousin. So take heart that some people follow some laws.
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Robert N. Valine |
This is a widespread problem and nothing new. I had a bride that was dumb enough to actually tell me that she wasn't going to buy any enlargements, She was going to scan all her proofs at Wal mart to make enlargements. Well, duplicates may look ok. But, I doubt enlargements made this way would be of very good quality. I've also heard that Wal Mart has started to check photos for ID and copyright statements because of being hit with lawsuits from photographers. I was told by a fellow wedding photographer that he witnessed a woman bring her wedding album into a Wal mart and proceed to scan all the photos. He told the lab tech that if they let her do this that he would report Wal Mart. I've been told that Wal Mart will take the copies away and not sell them if they are aware that someone is trying to do this. The customer can also be charged for the copies that they made. It's good that Wal Mart is trying to do something about this. But, what's to stop people from doing it at home or on a friends copier and printer ? Digital may have solved some problems. But, It has created quite a few as well. As far as someone actually telling people to go out and do this....It's very irresponsible. But, I don't know what can actually be done about it.
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